The lens of habit

In everyday life, you quickly perceive your environment through the lens of habit. However, if you look at something from the same point of view repeatedly, you decide to see the same thing over and over again – like frozen water in slow motion.

However, well-known pictures only reveal their actual diversity if you dare to look at them in a different light. At another time of day, a few meters away or with another person’s eyes – leaving the lens of habit behind can show things in a completely different light.

The frozen canals of Amsterdam in winter

I took this photo in the city center of Amsterdam. You can see one of the iconic frozen canals the city is famous for in winter. If the temperatures drop beneath -1 degree celsius, the canals, lakes, and other water areas start to freeze. Once the ice is thick enough, people really go crazy after ice skating in the Netherlands. You can see people ice skating wherever they can, and even if not following this sport, many enjoy sliding on their shoes or a slide on the canals. As you can see in this picture, the ships are surrounded by ice and, therefore, have to stay at their anchorage until it becomes warmer.

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